


Men in Suits Have Feelings They're Just Bad at Talking about Them

by completelyhopeless



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Community: comment_fic, F/M, fluff kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2693342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelyhopeless/pseuds/completelyhopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being captured gives people time to talk, even if they have a hard time talking about feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Men in Suits Have Feelings They're Just Bad at Talking about Them

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hanorganaas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanorganaas/gifts).



> For the prompt: _[Agents of SHIELD, Melinda/Phil (Or Felix Blake or Nick Fury), Tall Men with Feelings [Orange is the New Black]](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/548452.html?thread=77522276#t77522276)_
> 
> This has to be after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D, but as I haven't seen any of season two, I'm not being real specific with it. It's just a moment where they're captured and talking which could be almost anywhere after the H.Y.D.R.A. reveal, I guess.

* * *

“I'm not good with talking about how I feel.”

May almost snorted. She gave Coulson a look, and he nodded, interpreting it for what it was. _Tell me something I don't know._ She sat back against the wall, aware of every speck of dust and dirt that had gotten on her, somehow burrowing under her clothes and down into her skin. She would go soak for days after this, assuming they lived to have that bath.

“I think I'm really bad at it.”

“You are,” May agreed. “If that cellist is any indication.”

“Oh, sure, throw that in my face.”

May leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. “You know that you could have had more than this, more than S.H.I.E.L.D. It's dead, Phil, and rebuilding it may not work, so why is it you couldn't walk away and take what you wanted?”

“What I wanted was S.H.I.E.L.D.”

She shook her head. “That's hiding. You can't love an organization. Or a bureaucracy. It won't ever love you back, and it's not safe, regardless of what you might think.”

“You know a bit about hiding in paperwork, don't you?”

“I know too damn much about it,” she almost snapped. “It was for the best. Letting the monster I was in Bahrain out again wasn't an option.”

“And telling her that I was alive wasn't one, either.” Coulson shifted closer to her. “They ruined my suit. I hate when they ruin my suit.”

“Is that going to be your catchphrase now?”

“No.” Coulson let out a breath. “May, I've been trying for a while now in the clumsiest ways to say what I need to say, and I don't know how to do it. I want to, but I can't, and I don't know why it isn't simpler just to have it out there. You've known me a long time. You've seen my worst.”

“I'm still waiting to see your best.”

“Cute,” he said, but then he took her hand and any humor in the moment was gone. 

She yanked herself free. “We're not doing goodbye speeches. That sort of thing isn't either of us, and it's not allowed, damn it. This isn't death. We can still get out of here.”

“I'm not saying goodbye. I'm trying to say I love you.”

She did snort that time. “You _are_ really bad at this.”

“May—”

She put a finger to his lips. “Later. Save it for when we get out of here because I do _not_ do dying declarations.”

He took her hand and lifted it away from his mouth. “Have you had a plan all this time that you didn't tell me about?”

“Maybe.”


End file.
